While preparing a set of complicated trust tax return for a wealthy client, your supervisor persistently reminded you that your work was "way over budget." You felt terrible that you were disappointing your supervisor, but you sincerely were working as efficiently as you could. The budget was based on a senior associate preparing the tax return, and you are just a junior associate who never studied trust taxation in college.
Your firm pays overtime during tax season, and you had planned to spend your overtime pay on a ski trip with friends. However, due to your supervisor's pressure, you decided to report fewer hours on your time sheet than you actually worked. As a result, you were not able to afford your planned ski trip.
Was your decision to underreport your hours worked ethical?